MakingWithWax

#MakerEd #MakerCenteredLearning is more about process than product, though having a viable, usable product at the end is a plus. Making fosters the C’s (creativity, communication, collaboration, critical thinking, community…) & the P’s (peers, passions, play, projects). Making teaches many life/21st cent/soft skills. But most importantly, making gives every person their own on ramp to the content. An in from their own point of view. It also opens up avenues for discussions.

There are two simple and useful products to make that use wax : candles and lip balm. You will also want to use essential oils with these. You can make candles simply from soy wax or by mixing beeswax with coconut oil. {i have not made beeswax candles yet, but several recipes call for 1/2 pound beeswax + 1/4 cup coconut oil}. The recipe I used for lip balm was 1:1:1 of beeswax : coconut oil : shea butter. I did 1/4 cup each, added 1.5 mL of essential oil and that filled 25, 5 mL containers, plus some extra.

There are a myriad of topics that you can discuss while you make these things :

Melting points

Vaporization points

Diffusion

Measurements

Color mixing

Environmental sustainability of ingredients

Global origins of ingredients

Trade

Cultural meaning of oils/scents

Cultural uses of candles

Time period switching from candle use in homes to next source

Instruction writing

Marketing plans

Cost analysis

Label  design

Geometry of packages

Surface area & volume

The 5 senses

Differing effects of different scents

Pollution (petroleum based vs soy or beeswax)

Conversion between units (such a mix of mL, mg, ounce, cup…)

Books/short stories that have candles as props.

You will need a "double boiler" setup, a pan within a pan. I used a pyrex measuring cup in a pan of water. I heated the water to just below boiling. You will also want popsicle/craft sticks. I used them to stir as well as hold my wicks in place. Soy wax & wicks. That package only gave two wick holders, which is why i used craft sticks. I got about 24, 4 ounce candles out of 5 pounds of soy wax, so I bought some more (without the wicks). Beeswax (you can get yellow if you want, products will have a slight yellow tint to them), coconut oil, shea butter. Containers for candles (i went with 4 oz metal) and lip balm (I used 5 mL). Essential oils are your final purchase. if you are doing lip balm, the smaller, 10 mL , jars are fine (I used 1.5 mL with 3/4 cup of balm and got 25 containers+extra). The candles require more. I did around 10% by liquid volume (300 mL melted wax got 30 mL oil), so you want the 4 oz bottles. There are many brands and I have a couple, but do not notice a difference yet.

Melt the wax, pull off the heat, stir in oil, pour into containers, let solidify. 

Clean up mess. You know you spilled some.

Candle Making video link (jic)

snowflakes

It is that time of year to make paper snowflakes. Here is a digital version of that exercise. 
(ht to @mrlosik and his instructable to 3D print snowflakes https://www.instructables.com/id/3D-Printed-Holiday-Snowflakes/ ). 

http://rectangleworld.com/PaperSnowflake/ gives you a folded piece of paper that you draw polygons on to make cuts. {i wish they asked you how many folds you wanted}. The next step is to take a picture/screenshot of your snowflake. I used purple as a high contrast background to make it easier to remove later, there is not a choice for "no background". I imported the screenshot into my Cricut Design Space, then did some steps to remove the purple and saved the "new" image. [i completely missed the part where it gave an option to save as a "cut image" vs a "print & cut"]. Then I inserted the new image into a project and chose "no fill" under print, so it is just a cut image.

Now you are ready to cut this out of sticker material, heat transfer, window clings, cereal box...

Here is a quick video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DRZF_bUCYo

3DPrintingWorkshop

NORT2H / ESC of Lorain County is offering a 3D printing workshop, partnering with MakerGear and SOI. It is free for NORT2H members, and costs $125 for non-members. It will be December 11, from 8:30-2:30.
Here is a flyer for more information.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vsQcZAvasPk3kpO0Zo30Lq1eUkNfeZZ3zF0YdTLUF4Q/edit

OctoberVisits

I got to visit two local schools this week.

First, I went to Bolich MS to see Alex Oris ( @mrORIStech ) and his robotics club. They meet after school once a month. (he would love to meet more, but he has other buildings to work with and a family). This time they were working with Sphero (SPRK+ & mini) or Edison. They have enough of these three so that everyone could have their own to work with. Their challenge was to create code to have the “robot” trace various polygons, starting with a square. There were about three dozen excited and enthusiastic kids scattered around the library and hallway. If a student didn’t have their own device (tablet, phone, chromebook), Mr. Oris has some devices that he got from a GAR Foundation grant for VR/AR. Besides watching them work, I brought Marty the Robot, from Robotical, a company in Scotland.  Marty v1 is a humanoid robot that you can make walk, slide, dance… and is pretty nice, but I am hoping for better things in their v2 kickstarter .  I want to be able to make different things out of my robotics, like cars and elevators and … They seem to be working towards a bit of expandability and customizability. Check them out.

Later in the week I went to visit David Hall (email) the Tech & Maker Teacher at
Immaculate Heart of Mary (k-8). I graduated from IHM in 1979 and had not been back in a
long time. His room is one of my former 8th grade home rooms (they have shifted rooms
around as needed, even the library isn’t where it used to be).  He sees all kids at some time and
there is a great mix of “tool time” and projects. We forget that many kids have never held a tool,
let alone used one. Sometimes classes are just “pounding nails” or “drill a hole” or
“put in a screw”. Yes, they use hammers and screwdrivers,  cordless and corded drills,
palm sanders, pop riveter, chop saw, band saw, and other hand tools. He has a “flight” elective
course and they make all variety of flying things from wood and cardboard and foam. There
were the beginnings of boomerangs on a shelf. His room has some excellent examples of flying
things hanging from the ceiling. IHM participates in The American Rocketry Challenge and this
year has two teams (they have had up to 5 in the past). They 3D design & print some parts,
2D design and laser cut others.
The school has recently purchased Dash and Dot and some Cubelets, so he is anxious to get
those going with teachers. 

#MakerEdConvening

#MakerEdConvening 

This past weekend I headed over to Pittsburgh, PA to attend #MakerEdConvening . I am glad that @MakerEdOrg brought the conference to the East Coast (#1-4 have been in California).  Pittsburgh has been doing a great deal in the #MakerEd realm, so it was a good place to have it. Nova Place and the Children’s Museum next door was a nice location and had wonderful facilities, with great food for breakfast and lunch. There are three hotels two blocks away, so it was convenient. That area of Pittsburgh also has PNC Park and at least a dozen restaurants within walking distance. Heinz Field and the Carnegie Science Center are also a short walk nearby. I like going to California, but my bank account likes driving to PA better. I hope they keep coming back to the East, maybe an every other year arrangement.

Mostly I go to conferences to meet people. I go to see my Twitter PLN face to face, and to find some new connections. I also pick up on one or two things that I have not paid attention to yet. We had an hour for breakfast and lunch to do some networking. There was a Happy Hour (two actually) at the Museum Lab. Even with those, I wish that there was more designated time to meet and talk with people. The 15 minutes between sessions is not enough to do this. But if we add a 30-60 minute “networking” block, that pushes us later into the evening. The other option would be to replace a session slot with a networking slot. Hmmm.

Speaking with Lauren from MakerEd made me want to look up their Making Spaces initiative (i did, but i don’t fit into it yet). I played with the next version of the Finch that is coming out in Spring 2020. The sessions show that are some people being successful with MakerEd and some starting. Wake County Public Schools has the 4 C’s in their Mission Statement, so that made admin more responsive to Maker initiatives. (we can talk later about having all 6 C’s). We have to keep thinking in terms of equity and access, as well as keep looking at out inherent bias towards ideas/people/things. We also need to keep creating culture. #MakerEd is more than the sum of the tools. 

The MakerEd team did a great job. I enjoyed the weekend and hope to get to another Convening in the future. Hopefully Maker Education will grow so that we can have more of these meetups.

Here are some pics i took : 

coroplast

Coroplast (corrugated plastic) is a material that you should investigate for your #MakerSpace. Yes, you can buy it in various sizes and colors at Home Depot/Lowes/Menards or Amazon (pay close attention to sizes). But it is a product that you can get for free, if you ask the right people. This is what most election yard signs are made of, so find your politicians and issue leaders and ask them to donate after the election. 

You will need a couple of tools to work with it. The first is a coro-claw {$20} (there are different size ones because there are different dimensions for the flutes in coroplast. This tool is used to cut following the flutes (rip cut). Depending on how you place it in the flute, it can cut through one (for a bend) or both sides of the coroplast.

The second is a clever cutter {10 pack ~$16}. This can be used to rip one side in the flute channel. It is not as neat a line as the coro claw, so usually just used for some final cut throughs. The third is your trusty exacto or utility knife (A or B ) for cross cutting. You will also want a solid, straight edge for your cross cuts (piece of wood, metal ruler, level…)

Pretty much anything you can make with cardboard you can make with this. It is not quite as bendable as cardboard, but it can get wet, unlike cardboard. I have seen walls for model structures, pieces for bridges (instead of toothpicks or popsicle sticks), mini car chassis, even wheels. 

ElectricityExploration

(cross posted at http://www.paulshircliff.org/the-journey/electricityexploration )

Here is something I think that every #MakerSpace #STEM #STEAM lab should have, any and all ages. Some electricity exploration. I am a little biased being an Engineer that worked in the electricity generation industry, but it is a major part of our lives and most people don’t understand it. I have always liked colored lights (and music... remember putting blinking christmas lights in a box behind some frosted plastic??)

I am doing a STEAM day with my colleagues from Construct Learning, and my part is Electrical Engineering / Electricity. So I finally got a little electricity kit, $12 : 6 motors, motor holders  switches, fan blades, propellers, battery holders, assorted gears, 4 wheels. It is an inexpensive way for students to play with electricity. You have to add AA batteries {20 for $9}, and I would add some CR 2032 watch batteries (or other model){20 for $9},  maybe even some AAA and C or D batteries, but probably not the 9V batteries. 

To make connections easier, you might want to include some alligator wires [30 for $9] I would also add some LED’s. [500 for $10]. 

Let’s add it all up : 

Kit $12

AA batts $9

CR2032 $9 (the more the merrier) 

Alligator wires $9

LED’s $10

                             ~ $50  (if you group up and 1 motor each ~$8 per group)

There is one more thing that I would include : a genecon for $13. It allows discussions on “what is electricity” and do we “make” electricity or do we “generate” it, totally different concepts. They do need to be careful with these, to not turn them so fast or so hard that the plastic gears inside wear out. For an exploration station, I would get at least 2 of these. So now we are talking $75 for some open investigations with electricity.

IngenuityFest

"wonderland of art, music, technology, 

and immersive experiences " 

Ingenuity Fest will take place on September 27 – 29 at the Hamilton Collaborative (5401 Hamilton Avenue) in St. Clair-Superior. It is a celebration and gathering of artists, makers and entrepreneurs. Some of the artists and makers sell their work. There are multiple performance stages for music and dance acts. There are food vendors. The Cleveland Public  Library makerspace people have had a making area at past Fest's. The Maker's Alliance (a community MakerSpace at the Hamilton Collective) will be open and have a hands on activity for visitors. Ingenuity Fest is an event where you wander through various spaces, hang out at one for a while, move on. 

music lineup 

IngenuityFest 2019: Dreamscapes

Tickets $10

kids 12 & under free

Friday, September 27: 6pm – 1am

Saturday, September 28: 1pm – 1am

Sunday, September 29: 1pm – 6pm

This is an industrial/warehouse space. Floors are uneven, stairs are narrow.

Parking is mostly street parking in the vicinity. Entrance to the event is on E 53rd. 

The Hamilton Collaborative is also home to :
soulcraft Cleveland
Skidmark Garage 
ReBuilders Xchange
Morrison Dance
AO Architecture Office 
3 Barn Doors  

MobileMakerBucket

Great idea for a Mobile #MakerSpace from @makespacebook : a tool bucket

Here at @utsdct w/ a prototype to outfit class & conference rooms w/ a Default Kit of matls for being visual + making instead of just talking. Deploying from 5-gal buckets + bucket bags; labeled ziplocs to keep little things together/repackable? pic.twitter.com/hsQoYz7ODQ

— makespacebook (@makespacebook) September 9, 2019

5 gallon buckets cost about $3
https://www.homedepot.com/p/The-Home-Depot-5-Gal-Homer-Bucket-05GLHD2/100087613

Obviously these are things you try to get donated. Many home construction sites have too many 5 gallon buckets from drywall compound and throw them away. They take a little chipping and rinsing to clean out.

Tool bucket organizer costs $9
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-18-in-5-Gal-Tool-Bucket-Organizer-82079N14/307699286?
(this is one of the times I could NOT find it cheaper on Amazon)

MichiganComputerScienceSummt

There is a k-12 Summit on Computer Science, in Detroit Michigan, Fri Oct 25 , keynote by Brian Aspinall @mraspinall . It is only $49 https://sites.google.com/macul.org/k-12-summit-on-computer-sci #MakerSpace #MakerEd.

The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is partnering with the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL), Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), Michigan Virtual, Microsoft Imagine Academy, Minecraft: Education Edition (M:EE), the MiStem Network and the REMC Association of Michigan, on a unique learning opportunity to connect statewide work in the areas of Computer Science, including the implementation of the new K-12 CS Standards and many other technology-driven initiatives.

MakerFaireToledo

Toledo is having a Mini Maker Faire on Saturday September 21, at Imagination Station, 1 Discovery Way, Toledo, OH 43604 from noon - 6. Check out local makers, see what Maker Faire's are about. https://toledo.makerfaire.com https://twitter.com/ToledoMiniMaker

MakerFaireRochester

Maker Faire Rochester is Saturday November 23rd
https://rochester.makerfaire.com/
It is only a 4 hour drive from NE Ohio, so close enough for a weekend getaway.

It is at the Rochester Riverside Convention Center , 123 E Main St, Rochester NY 14604 
Prices last year were $6, $9, $12 depending on when you got your tickets.

Eventbrite tickets for 2019 are not posted yet
Here is their Twitter to follow for updates https://twitter.com/MakerFaireRoc

Fall 2019 Conferences

There are a couple of local Educator conferences coming up. Not necessarily #Maker ... but all education should be Maker... 

1) GAR Educator Conference is October 3rd at the Hilton Garden Inn - Akron
I have not seen a registration link yet.
https://garfoundation.org/educator-conference-2019/ 

2) KSU Learning Innovations Conference is November 5th at the KSU Student Center.
I have not seen a registration link for this one either.
https://www.kent.edu/ehhs/learning-innovations-conference

MakerFaireDetroit

from Jaime Chanter
https://mrschanter.blogspot.com/2019/08/maker-faire-detroit-2019.html

Making is just so much.  If you haven't experienced it in awhile, I highly encourage you to get back at it.  I know you've done it in the past and I know it's given you a smile.  That's what making does.  It makes you feel good.  I am always striving to bring making into my teaching.  I visited the Maker Faire in Detroit a few weeks ago and loved every second of it.  I was fortunate to hear Sherry Huss, founder of Maker Faire, speak back in May.  She is the reason I attended in Detroit.  What an inspiration!!

The vibe at Maker Faire is the best thing about it.  Everyone wants to make, to share, to smile.  It's super laid back, inviting, and comfortable.  There is very little intimidation and very much interaction.  I would highly encourage you to take one in. 

I've visited the Mini Maker Faires before and those are pretty great too.  This is just such an amazing scale of creativity and collaboration.  It was the ten year anniversary for Detroit.  I'd very much like to get to the World Maker Faire or the Flagship Maker Faire.  Neither of them are on my budget/calendar at this time but they are definitely on my watch list.  Check out their site to see what may work out for you - https://makerfaire.com/

  

(Thanks Jaime. I am sorry that I did not make it to Detroit this year.)

(Rochester is coming up Nov 23rd https://rochester.makerfaire.com/ )

AugustResources

Sharing some resources that have been shared to me recently...

1) Orbrary https://obrary.com/ 
Free design files for laser or cnc. 
All work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
There are also some eBooks
Take a peak

2) Democo MakerHub http://makerhub.demco.com/makerhub/home
You need a free account (so you need your email)
A collection of maker activities, projects and products.
It doesnt hurt to look.

3) SCOPES-DF https://www.scopesdf.org/lessons/
Digital Fabrication lessons from the FabLab Foundation
Requires an account (email).


Wonder if we can / should have one repository for maker centered lessons with standards tied to them... is it possible or too large a job. There are thousands of standards (roughly 100 ish per subject per grade level in high school, so I imagine just as many in elementary)

NASA Free Youth Day @Great Lakes Science Center

NASA Free Youth (2-12) day at @GLScienceCtr August 12 http://greatscience.com/explore/events-programs/nasa-free-youth-day Kids 2-13 free 11:15 Energy demonstration Cleveland Creates Zone, Level 1 2:15 Lift Off : using chemistry and physics to launch rockets (probably a demo) Cleveland Creates Zone, Level 1 Obviously the museum itself has lots of hands on , make some stuff exhibits

AkronChildrensMuseum

Did you know Akron had a Children's interactive Museum. I just found this out.
It is at Lock 3, below the State Street Parking Deck, in the old O'Neils (sp?) building. Currently they have 3,000 sq ft and 22 exhibits, which are probably best for kids 10 and under.  Admission is $5. They have a campaign going to double their size so they can create some exhibits and programming for the 10-15 crowd. They have two weeks of summer camp for 6-8 year olds and two weeks for 9-12 year olds.

COSI Science Fest

COSI in Columbus is having its second Science Festival May 6-9 2020 with 100+ community events. Since STEM and Science involve making... it is also something for a #Maker to experience. Check out the events from 2019 to get an idea of what might be going on in 2020.
(press release1) (press release2)

MakingAssistiveTechnology

The second annual Make AT for All Conference and Expo will be held in Monroeville PA on September 24th and 25th. I understand it will be more of a hands on conference than a "sit and git". There will be educators and makers and people with disabilities all working together to create solutions. (Monroeville is just a little East of Pittsburgh)

I helped with an assistive technology session at NOMCON this year. We took plush toys that have buttons built in, cut the wires and added larger buttons on the outside. I was told to buy that "adapted" toy it would cost a lot more than the parts and time we put in. I hear from people online that assistive technology is very expensive when it doesn't really need to be. Many schools cannot afford them and insurance is hit or miss with covering things. There are many hacks and diy devices that can be made to do the same things less expensively.

Maybe your STEM / Maker / robotics /.... club could do some assistive technology making??

SPARCC

SPARCC (Stark Portage Area Computer Consortium) is hosting their 15th annual Education Technology Conference on August 9, 2019 at Stark State College in North Canton, Ohio (#SPARCC19). They have reached their registration limit, but they have a waiting list. It is not a #Maker conference per se, but it is a good local conference with several maker style sessions. : making interactive notebooks, creating VR, creating book trailers, Invention Literacy, making sketchnotes, screencasting, PBL in MakerSpace, music making. Follow the hashtag if you cannot get in.

MakerFaireDetroit

Maker Faire Detroit is July 27 & 28 at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan.  It is mostly an outdoor event, where many #Makers,  young and old, new and expert, come to show off their work and talk about their passions. It is a pretty large event (not quite the size of Maker Faire NY or Bay area). In addition to tables and booths, there are many Demos, Workshops, Talks, Performances. Tickets are $28 for ages 12 and up, ($14 if you are a member of The henry Ford), $10 for ages 4-11, free under age 4. While you are there, maybe stay a second day and check out Greenfield Village?

#MakerSpace & #MakerCenteredLearning & #MakerEd

MakerEd Convening

The Fifth Annual MakerEd Convening will be held in Pittsburg on October 12th & 13th. It is a gathering of national (international ?) Maker Educators. The cost is $250 through July 31, when it goes up to $375. The Children's Museum of Pittsburgh is an awesome place, and this year they just opened an adjacent space for  older kids (teens) called MuseumLab. Follow MakerEd and the Children's Museum on Twitter.

#MakerSpace & #MakerCenteredLearning & #MakerEd